1. Improved Recycling & Refuse Collection Service Swale Borough Council Alison Sollis Behavioural Change Officer – Mid Kent Waste Partnership

2. Why Improve?  Swale - current recycling rate 32% - The top recycling councils achieve over 50%, introducing the same system will help swale achieve a minimum of 43% quickly and a much higher rate in the long term  Increasing Population – over 29 million tonnes of domestic waste thrown away every year in UK - In Swale during 2012 -13 32,000 tonnes was disposed - this equates to an average of 560kgs per household per year  Lifestyle Change - more convenience foods and increased food waste – an average household throws away over £400 of food each year and on average 30% of all waste thrown away is food waste.  Increased affluence and busier lifestyles has resulted in a move away from the ‘waste not want not’ attitude  The continued drain on valuable natural resources is unsustainable  Increased land fill charges risk increasing the cost to the taxpayer. The proposed improvements will save around £500k each year

3. Improvement Timetable  New 10 year waste partnership with, Ashford, Maidstone, Swale Borough Councils & Biffa Municipal Ltd  New service commenced in Ashford on 1July 2013  New service commenced in Maidstone on 5 August 2013  New service 16 December 2013 – Increased types of recyclable materials, plastics, Tetra-Packs and textiles  New weekly food waste collections from Summer 2014

4. Key Improvements – 16 December 2013  Fully commingled recycling collections in your blue bin  Glass bottles and jars can be placed directly into your blue bin, no further need for the black box  Please continue to use your black box until 16 December 2013  The box can be kept for excess recyclables on blue bin day.  Increased number of materials that can be recycled via the blue bin  Plastic containers such as margarine tubs, plastic meat trays, ice cream tubs and yoghurt pots  Long life milk and juice cartons (Tetra-Pack)  Introduction of a kerbside textile collection  This will run on an alternate weekly basis with the already established small electrical item collections.

5. Mixed Dry Recycling – Blue Wheeled Bin  NEW  Food & drink cartons (Tetra-Packs)  Plastics: yoghurt pots, margarine and ice cream tubs, meat trays, fruit punnets  EXISTING  Cardboard  Plastic Bottles  Paper  Tins and Cans  Aerosols  Kitchen foil & foil food trays  Glass – bottles and jars – No need for glass Insert  All materials in bin loose –no plastic bags  240L Blue Wheeled Bin Collected Fortnightly

6. Reduce Reuse Recycle Recycling saves energy/natural resources Percentage of energy saved compared to using virgin materials:  Paper: Energy saving - 70%  Aluminium: Energy saving - 95%  Steel: Energy saving - 75%  Glass: Energy saving - 33%  Plastics: Energy saving - 80%

7. Textile & small Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Collections – From 16 December 2013  Small items such as toasters  Collected alongside green bin  Maximum one carrier bag per collection  Old clothing (no pillows or duvets)  Collected alongside blue bin  Maximum one carrier bag per collection  Please continue to support Charity Collections Collected on alternate weeks

8. Used Household Batteries  Place on top of your green refuse bin in a clear plastic bag on collection day

9. Food Waste Recycling – From Summer 2014  All cooked and uncooked food waste  Includes meat, fish & bones  Eggs, cheese & dairy products  Tea bags & coffee grounds  Bread, cakes & pastries  Fruit & vegetables  Rice, pasta and beans  Takeaway leftovers  Compostable bags, kitchen roll or newspaper only should be used to line the caddy  No plastic bags, biodegradable bags or food packaging  5L Kitchen Caddy – indoor use only Collected Weekly

10. Food Waste Recycling  All cooked and uncooked food waste  Includes meat, fish & bones  Eggs, cheese & dairy products  Tea bags & coffee grounds  Bread, cakes & pastries  Fruit & vegetables  Rice, pasta and beans  Takeaway leftovers  Compostable bags, kitchen roll or newspaper only should be used to line the caddy  No plastic bags, biodegradable bags or food packaging  23L Food Bin Collected Weekly

11. Recycling food waste into compost 

12. Non recyclable rubbish – Green Wheeled Bin  Plastic film/wrapping  Plastic bags/crisp packets  Polystyrene  Nappies/sanitary items  Cat Litter  No garden waste, soil rubble household fixtures an fittings  180L Green Wheeled Bin Collected Fortnightly

13. Garden Recycling – Brown Wheeled Bin (Optional)  Grass cuttings  Flowers and plants  Hedge trimmings  Leaves  Weeds  No plastic bags or sacks  240L Brown Wheeled Bin Collected Fortnightly – Annual Subscription Applies

14. No space to store wheeled Bins?  Will be reviewed during Summer 2014  Consultation with residents  Weekly food waste collections  Fortnightly Recycling in clear sacks including glass bottles and jars  Fortnightly black sacks for refuse  Alternating weekly –Textiles & WEEE

15. Communal Collections Reviewed from Summer 2014 Consultation with residents Introduction of communal food waste bins

16. Working together...we can make a difference

17. Questions Website www.swale.gov.uk email waste@swale.gov.ukwww.swale.gov.uk